The Sphere of Glairivill
by nupharlutea78
Summary: Midori and Aleš come to visit Max and Shurf in Echo and get entangled into an investigation of mysterious disappearances...


The Sphère of Glairivill

'Shurf, Do you miss Aleš And Midori?' I asked my best friend smiling wistfully.

'Of course Max, I miss them as much as you Do,' Shurf smiled gently.

'It's good that you gave your looxi pin to Midori, Shurf,'I grinned.

'Hopefully His Highness shall come to our world using my pin,' Shurf nodded evenly.

'And taking Aleš with him!' I grinned. 'Sinning Magicians, how I miss them!'

'You know, Max, that all your wishes come true,' Shurf smiled gently.

'Yes, sooner or Later, in one way or another,' I smiled. 'But the thing that I want it to happen sooner And in the way that I want it to!'

Shurf shook his head reproachfully but smiled gently.

We we're sitting on the vast smooth tiled roof of my house And enjoying the Red, blue And Green hues of the evening, the Red And brown tiled roofs And spires And lush Green gardens below And around us And drinking kamra from ceramic cups. My best friend, Sir Shurf Lonli-Lokli, the Grand Magician of the Order of the Seven Leaf Clover, the Blessed And Unique, was enjoying a welcome rest from his tedious administrative work, And I was keeping him company.

'And how is your new disciple, Shurf?' I grinned.

'Oh, Sir Vincent's studies are going very well,' he informed me. 'He has already mastered my breathing exercises and reads all books that I bring to him very diligently.'

'Splendid!' I grinned.

'Yes, Sir Vincent asks me a lot of questions about magic, And I answer him to the best of my abilities,' Shurf shared. 'I even showed to him some simple spells, in Sir Toixi Kamshi's office, on my word of honour, such as diminishing spell, summoning spell And the Silent Speech.'

'Our Sir Vincent is a very gifted lad,' I smiled.

'Yes, he is,' Sir Shurf said evenly. 'But the thing is that he now sends calls to me regularly, asking about this And that, as if I don't have enough work already!'

'Well, you took him as your disciple yourself, Sir Shurf, now bear with it!' I grinned.

'I'm bearing it, Max,' Shurf smiled gently.

Two young men we're sitting in old dark wooden carved chairs by a tall arched window And looking out on a lush Green garden with tall large old trees. One young man was tall And slender, with long shining black hair And large golden eyes. He was wearing a la long wide light Green robe with a square collar And a Red kimono under it, light Green loose trousers, white socks And s golden straw sandals. He was playing a sad tender melody on a dark carved lute. Another young man was also tall And slender, with short black hair And large dark eyes. He was in a puffy crimson doublet, Green hose, scarlet pointed shoes And a blue turban. He was Reading a book avidly.

'Midori, Do you miss Max, Numminorix And Sir Shurf?' the brightly dressed young man asked.

'Yes, I do, Aleš,' Midori smiled gently.

He fished into his sleeve And produced a simple silver pin with a rough místy blue round stone, looked at it And smiled wistfully.

He recalled how not so long ago three strangers appeared in front of the castle that he guarded in his dragon form. They informed him that someone stole a very powerful And dangerous magical artifact from their land And then teleported here to Sychrov Castle. The strangers we're Sir Max, the Nocturnal Representative of the Venerable Head of the Minor Secret Investigative Force of Echo, Sir Numminorix Kuta, the Master of Delicate Sense, Max's colleague, And Sir Shurf Lonli-Lokli, the Grand Magician of the Order of the Seven Leaf Clover, from whose office the artifact was stolen. The artifact was a ring that could turn everyone around it into whatever it's wielder wished. Of course, hearing such news, Midori instantly escorted Max, Numminorix and Sir Shurf to his King, Jiřík. Jiřík, who was very wise, allowed Max, Numminorix and Sir Shurf to search the castle. It turned out to be that the thief teleported somewhere else. Jiřík sent Midori to assist Max, Numminorix and Sir Shurf. Midori went with them to the seashore town of Montpellier, the seat of a famous university. There they found that the thief turned a lot of passers-by into stone. But Max was able to return the poor wretches to life with his magic. When they came to the thief's house, it turned out to be that the thief was a young alchemist called Vincent L'Aigle, who found an old grimoire in his own attic And used spells written in it. He turned those people to stone inadvertently, by wishing some Burgess who stepped on his foot painfully to turn to stone. He recoiled in horror seeing his deed And ran to his house to weep hysterically. Sir Shurf And Max reprimanded him And told him that he has to go to the Royal Prison of Xolomi for his deeds, but that Sir Shurf would take him as his disciple, And accept him into his Order after some time in Xolomi. They returned to Sychrov. In the course of that investigation Midori made friends with Bright And clever Max, calm And resolute Sir Shurf and eager curious Numminorix. At parting Max embraced Midori, And Sir Shurf gave to Midori the pin from his strange foreign cloak, looxi, And said that it will serve as a key to his world if Midori wishes to travel to it. Max And Shurf told a lot about their wonderful world, And Midori wanted to see it And his new friends.

'This pin rested on Sir Shurf's chest, against his heart, for a long time, And Sir Shurf is a very powerful wizard,' Midori remarked. 'So Yes, I suppose, it can take us to his world if he wishes so.'

Aleš nodded smiling brightly.

'Let's go to His Highness, Midek, And ask him to allow us to go to their world!' he suggested eagerly.

'All right, Alešek,' Midori smiled gently.

They went to Jiřík's room. Jiřík was sitting on his bed And Reading a book. He smiled gently, seeing them.

'Jiřík-ousama, I wish to go see Max, Sir Shurf And Numminorix,' Midori said gently but firmly. 'And Aleš wants to go with me.'

Jiřík část a long look at them.

'Well, I once let Alešek go with you, when you had to fulfill Ladislav's tasks,' he smiled gently. 'And it turned out very well. All right, you can go, my friends!'

'Thank you, Your Highness,' Aleš said with feeling.

'Domo arigatou gozaimasu, ousama,' Midori smiled gently And slyly.

'You're welcome,' Jiřík smiled gently And slyly.

Midori And Aleš bowed deeply And left.

They walked into the gardens of Sychrov Castle. Midori smiled gently And clasped Sir Shurf's pin in his hand, And gave other hand to Aleš. Aleš held his hand tightly. Midori concentrated, imagining Sir Shurf And Max together. He felt a falling sensation, And honest moment they we're on a large flat tiled roof with a glorious view on a crimson evening sky, some brown, Gray And Red tiled roofs, spires And lush Green gardens. And near them we're Max And Sir Shurf, sitting cross-legged on the roof And drinking some dark beverage from ceramic cups. He smiled gentky And slyly at them.

'Konbanwa, Max, Sir Shurf!' he said gently.

'Good evening, Max, Sir Shurf,' Aleš smiled gently.

Max stared at them wide eyed. Sir Shurf just smiled gently to them.

'Good evening, Your Highness, Sir Aleš,' he intoned gently.

'Good evening, Midori, good evening, Aleš!' Max smiled brightly and hugged Midori And Aleš impulsively. 'Sinning Magicians, how glad I am to see you!'

'See, Sir Max, you got your wish very soon,' Sir Shurf smiled gently.

'Yes, Shurf,' Max smiled gently.

'Where are we, Max?' Midori asked curiously.

'Well, on the roof of my house, of course,' Max grinned. 'It's very large, my house!'

'I can see that, Max,' Midori smiled gently.

'Well, please sit down, my friends, And I'll get something to drink for you,' Max invited grinning broadly.

'Thank you, Max,' Midori said politely. Aleš just nodded. They sat down.

Max reached into his looxi, produced a white porcelain cup full of Green tea And handed it to Midori. Then he produced a glass of Red wine And handed it to Aleš.

Aleš stared at Max wide eyed. Midori looked inquisitively at Max.

'It's just a simple magic trick,' Max explained grinning. 'Drink, drink please, it's perfectly safe!'

Midori sipped his tea. It was indeed excellent. Aleš sipped his wine And smiled brightly.

'Well, how is our Sir Vincent?' Midori asked curiously.

'Well, he already mastered Sir Shurf's breathing exercises And some simple spells,' Max reported brightly. 'He reads a lot And annoys Shurf with his calls.'

'Very good,' Midori smiled gently.

We sat silently for some time, enjoying the sight of sunset over Echo.

'Your city is so lovely, Maxik!' Aleš said, smiling gently.

I don't usually like diminutives, but coming from him, this 'Maxik' seemed all right.

'Wait till you see it all,' I grinned.

'Maxik, you have such a large house, with turrets And covered with a vine, like a Palace!' Aleš said in awe.

'It's the former building of the Library of the Royal University,' I explained briefly. 'His Majesty granted it to me.'

Aleš nodded.

'And what is it that you're drinking?' he asked curiously.

'Kamra, it's a common drink in Echo,' I explained. 'It's not a strong drink, it's somewhat like tea.'

Aleš nodded satisfied.

'Sir Shurf, did you put a magic alert on your office then?' Midori asked inquisitively.

'Yes, of course, on the Same day,' Shurf answered evenly.

Midori nodded satisfied.

'Gentlemen, let's go to my sitting room, shall we?' I asked grinning.

'Certainly,' Midori smiled gently.

'Of course, Maxik!' Aleš smiled gently.

'Of course, Max,' Shurf smiled gently.

I grinned And led my friends to my sitting room. One of my sitting rooms, that is, because my house is really vast. When we entered the sitting room, I was instantly dropped to the floor by the huge white mass of fur that is my dog Droopy, And licked all over my face with his large wet tongue. My dog is as friendly as he is large And powerful, And greets me like this several times a day. I rose from the floor, cleaned myself as best I could, And smiled to Aleš And Midori. They smiled gently at me. Then I saw that in the sitting room was one more person, a tall lean girl with Red hair in many braids, And in a Green looxi And skaba. She was sitting in an armchair And Reading a thick book, And in her lap we're my two cats, huge And brown, fast asleep.

'Oh, Max, good evening!' she smiled brightly.

I smiled brightly to her as I knew her very well, she was living in my house in fact. She was an objectified illusion, And her true form was a monster with a turkey's head with yellow cat eyes, body of a fish on long slender human feet, And with a fluffy Fox tail. She was created by Trikki Lai, the Deputy Chief of Police, who wanted to create illusions for a matinée for the polucemen's children, but, being exhausted, used about a millionth degree of white magic instead of needed 18th, And created our monster as a result. He swore at her from surprise when he created her, And she flew out of his window to my house, where she frightened my girlfriend Lady Melamori Blimm, who let out a war cry. I ran to her cry And saw the wonderful créature. Praised be the Magicians, it turned to be very delicate And intelligent And told us the short story of it's life. I named it Basilio and promised to défend it. So when Trikki Lai came to my house And offered to remove his création, we assured him that he didn't need to. Of course I had to get a license for keeping Basilio. And then Basilio wanted to become human, And I had to implore one of the most powerful witches od the World, Lady Sotofa Xanemer of the Order of the Seven Leaf Clover, to made Basilio human, And she gave Basilio a human form.

'Good evening, Basilio!' I smiled.

'Oh, Sir Shurf, I didn't notice you, good evening to you too!' Basilio said blushing.

'Good evening, Lady Basilio,' Shurf said evenly.

'Oh, And who are these gentlemen!?' Basilio asked excited.

'Basilio, Prince Hiryuu-no Midori, Sir Aleš Rebhan,' I introduced quickly.

Basilio blushed violently.

'Pleased to meet you, Lady Basilio,' Midori said gently.

'Glad to meet you, Lady Basilio,' Aleš smiled gently.

'Basilio is my ward, gentlemen,' I explained.

Midori And Aleš nodded.

We sat down on sofas And chairs.

'Remember how I told you about the Ring of Baumarra, Basilio?' I asked.

She nodded energetically at once, recalling what I said about Midori And Aleš.

'So you're a dragon, Your Highness?' she asked with excitement.

'Yes, I am, Lady Basilio,' Midori answered gently.

'And I'm something like a basilisk, but I don't turn anybody to stone!' she said merrily.

Midori looked at me with a question in his eyes.

I sighed And related Basilio's story to him.

Midori nodded with understanding. Aleš looked at us wide eyed.

'Well, I'll be!' he said concisely.

'Exactly,' I nodded grinning.

'So it seems that we have much in common, Lady Basilio,' Midori observed gently.

'Yes, Your Highness,' Basilio answered blushing.

'Lady Basilio, you change your forms at will?' Midori asked inquisitively.

'Yes, I decided to keep my other form, just in case robbers break into our house, or enemies invade Echo, And I'll scare them away then, or if...another monster appears in Echo, And I'll be able to keep it company...' Basilio trailed off blushing. 'Oh, Your Highness, I didn't mean that you're a monster!'

'Don't worry, Lady Basilio, I'm not offended at all,' Midori smiled gently. 'We aren't monsters, we are magical creatures.'

Basilio nodded fervently.

'Your Highness, we're you born with two forms, or did one of them appear Later? ' she asked curiously.

'I was born with two forms, as every dragon in my land,' Midori explained gently. 'One was a little light Green dragon, And another was a human baby with a jade pendant around it's neck, the appearance that my dragon skin had in human form then. When I grew, the jade pendant changed to light Green kariginu and sashinuki, as now.'

Basilio nodded eagerly.

'And how long Do you dragons live?' she asked curiously.

'Thousands of years, Lady Basilio,' Midori answered smiling gently And slyly. 'I'm still young, I'm just over a thousand years old.'

At this point Aleš stared at Midori wide eyed. Midori smiled gently And slyly to him.

'Oh, are you dragons born from eggs?' Basilio asked curiously.

'No, Lady Basilio, we are viviparous,' Midori answered gently.

Basilio nodded satisfied.

'And how many colours dragons have in your land?' she asked eagerly.

'Every possible colour, Lady Basilio,' Midori smiled gently. 'In fact, we are often named by our colour. Such is my case, Midori means light Green.'

Basilio nodded satisfied.

'Maxik, how is Numminorix?' Aleš asked grinning.

'Oh, he's very well, he helps us to find criminals And missing persons with his wonderful nose as always, And brings up his lovely children,' I grinned.

Aleš nodded satisfied.

'Your Highness, And how are your relatives?' Shurf asked gently.

Leave it to him to ask about Midori's difficult family situation so tactfully! Midori was the eldest son of the King of Dragons of the Eastern Sea by his first consort, Empress Fuji, but the Dragon King also had a second consort, Empress Yuri, who had three sons by him. And Empress Yuri hated Midori And turned her sons against him. So once they drove Midori into exile, And he went to the West lands, where he met kind King Jiřík of Sychrov And became the dragon guardian of his castle. Midori was content with his fate, but when Shurf and me heard about his troubles, we were deeply disgruntled by all this. So we offered to help him, assuring him that we won't hurt his stepmother or half brothers, as we valued other people's lives very highly. He agreed, And we went to his father's Palace And made Empress Yuri And her sons to swear that they rescind the sentence of exile from Midori And won't hurt him or his friends or the King of Sychrov or his friends And relatives. We made them to swear all that by threatening them with incineration, And praised be the Magicians that they were so shocked that they didn't start a fight! And after they made that oath they couldn't harm us as we we're Midori's friends, so we left the Palace peacefully.

'Well, I visited my father And mother, And they were very glad that I'm No longer exiled,' Midori answered gently. 'Empress Yuri is very disgruntled, of course, but she can't Do anything as she swore by her power And her ancestors not to Do me any harm. And my brothers Kurenai, Kuchiba And Ominaeshi reconciled with me.'

'Very good!' I grinned. Shurf nodded smiling gently.

'Thank you very much, Sir Shurf, for wording the oath so well!' Midori smiled gently. 'I'm so greatly obliged to you!'

'You're most welcome, Your Highness,' Shurf said evenly, but his dark Gray eyes were sparkling.

'And thank you both for helping me with that matter at all, Max, Sir Shurf!' Midori smiled warmly.

'You're welcome, Your Highness,' Shurf said smiling gently.

'Welcome, Midori!' I grinned.

'Your Highness, Do you like puzzles?' Basilio asked eagerly.

'Yes, Lady Basilio, I like puzzles very much,' Midori smiled gently.

'Oh, really?' Basilio beamed. 'I adore puzzles of all kinds! And Sir Umara Kamalkoni, the Professor of Objectified Illusions at the Royal Court, likes them very much too! He came to study me at first, And then we became very good friends! He's so nice, so intelligent, so...' She trailed off, blushing.

Midori looked at her with an understanding smile.

'I know two very good puzzles, tangram And Tower of Hanoi,' he said smiling gently. 'Tangram is a puzzle where you have many pièces of different shape And size that can be put together to form various figures or a square, that's how they are placed in a box at the start. And Tower of Hanoi is a puzzle where you have concentric discs And a platform with three posts, And you have to move all the discs from one post to another so that they are placed from the biggest to the smallest, as on the first post, And you can't put a bigger disc on a smaller disc in the process of moving them.'

'Oh, that's very interesting!' Basilio said, her eyes sparkling.

'Yes, it is,' Midori smiled g gently And slyly. He waved his hand, And a little box inlaid with mother of pearl And a Tower of Hanoi from mahogany appeared on the carpet of my sitting room. I smiled. I always loved those two puzzles myself.

Basilio took both from the carpet, touched them gently And opened the little box. Of course, there were ebony Tangram pièces inside. She started to put together a figure instantly.

'Show these to Professor Kamalkoni, I'm sure that he'll be very pleased,' Midori smiled gently And slyly. Basilio nodded hotly. Midori smiled gently to her.

'So Lady Basilio has a lover, doesn't she?' Midori asked me in Silent Speech, smiling gently.

'Yes, Midori, but the thing is that Professor Kamalkoni is just a disguise of our King,' I informed him sadly. 'At first he just wanted to see the monster, but then they became very good friends indeed, And now they're in love. But he's our King, And she's a monster...'

'A magical créature, Max,' Midori corrected me sternly. 'Yes, that's a problém... Lady Basilio wouldn't be content with the role of a royal concubine, would she?'

'I'm afraid not,' I nodded sadly.

'And what if I make an oath of brotherhood with Lady Basilio? Then she'll become my younger sister,' Midori suggested suddenly. 'We have such custom in Zipangu, oaths of brotherhood. My parents shall become her parents then, And they're royalty...'

'Oh Midori, you're a genius!' I exclaimed.

'A very good idea, Your Highness,' Shurf edged in suddenly.

'Domo arigatou gozaimasu, Sir Shurf,' Midori smiled gently. 'So you approve?'

'Of course, Your Highness, if there is such a custom in your land, then you're quite right, it's a perfect solution,' Shurf said evenly.

Midori nodded smiling gentky And slyly.

'I shall be honoured to have such a younger sister as Lady Basilio,' he observed.

'Very good, Your Highness,' Shurf smiled gently. I just grinned.

Basilio by that time has assembled a lovely cat from the tangram pièces And looked proudly at it.

'Look, Your Highness!' she beamed.

'Yes, you assembled the cat perfectly, Lady Basilio, you're very intelligent,' Midori smiled gently.

'Oh, thank you, Your Highness!' Basilio blushed.

'Call me just Midori, please,' he requested gently.

'All right, Midori,' Basilio beamed. Midori smiled gently to her.

'Your Highness, And what does that ritual of sworn brotherhood involve?' Shurf asked Midori inquisitively but gently. Still in Silent Speech, but I heard him somehow.

'Oh, we just swear an oath to each other, And then celebrate it by feasting,' Midori smiled gently.

'All right,' Shurf nodded briefly.

'Good,' I smiled gently.

Basilio meanwhile assembled a duck from the tangram pièces. We three smiled gently looking at her.

Aleš looked at us curiously, he clearly understood that we were talking, but refrained from saying anything as he realised it must have been a secret.

'Very curious puzzles,' he observed smiling gently.

'Yes,' Midori smiled gently.

'What breed is your dog, Max?' Aleš asked curiously. 'I've never seen a dog quite like this, so large And shaggy!'

'Droopy is a Wastelands Shepherd,' I explained. 'And he's still very young, they get larger than this!'

'Even larger!?'Aleš stared at me. 'Well, good that he's so friendly!'

'Yeah, but when he embraces And kisses me, it can be annoying because of his size,' I grinned.

'Yeah,' Aleš nodded smiling gently.

'How about a walk, my friends?' I suggested grinning.

'Of course, Max,' Shurf said evenly.

'Sure,' Aleš smiled gently.

'All right, Max,' Midori smiled gently And slyly.

I rose resolutely. Shurf, Midori And Aleš rose from their seats elegantly.

'Basilio, we're going for a walk, will you come with us?' I asked gently.

Basilio shook her head, immersed in the puzzles thoroughly. I nodded smiling.

We left the Shaggy House. From the outside it was even more impressive, a large building from brown stone, with turrets And orioles, all covered by a shaggy coniferous vine called glamitariunmayoxa, a name that I learned by heart just recently.

'Wow!' Aleš said in awe when he saw my house outside.

'Yeah,' I agreed. Shurf smiled gently. Midori smiled gently And slyly.

We walked by little winding streets of Echo, paved with stones of many colours, between Bright houses with many windows of various shapes And sizes, with gables, turrets And orioles And Red, Gray And brown tiled roofs. Midori And Aleš looked at all this in awe. And passers-by behaved very unusually for them too, they either walked in the air several inches from the pavement, had fires on their heads instead of hair, or we're accompanied by baskets or chests that walked after them all by themselves. Children we're letting various Bright dragons or some other fabulous beasts from their sleeves. Such is Echo, the wonderful, magic city, my home.

'Wow, so everyone is a wizard here!?'Aleš said in awe.

'Yes, because Echo is built in the Heart of the World, it's magical center,' I explained grinning. 'There are more gifted wizards, of course, such as Shurf And me. But everyone can use simple magic here, for cooking or Silent Speech, or cleaning.'

Aleš nodded satisfied.

'Where are you, Max?' my boss' Silent Speech sounded in my head.

'I'm on a walk with Shurf, Midori And Aleš,' I reported.

'Oh, so Prince Midori And Sir Aleš came to our city after all?' Juffin asked eagerly. 'Anyways, there is a case for you.'

'What, right now?' I groaned.

'Of course right now, Sir Max!' Juffin said in a No nonsense tone. 'So you have to finish your walk And get to the Street of the Lilac Cats, because people started disappearing there. No tracks, but Maybe there is a scent. So take Sir Numminorix and go there promptly!'

'All right, Juffin,' I sighed. And my boss disappeared from my mind.

'Where is the Street of Lilac Cats?' Midori asked at once. Of course he was overhearing our Silent Speech when he felt that I was talking with someone in my mind!

'It's on the eastern edge of the city, rather far from here,' I sighed. 'But I have to go there.'

'May we go with you, Max?' Midori asked gently.

'Yes, you can go, you may be of help to me,' I decided.

Midori And Aleš nodded hotly.

'And you, Shurf, will you go with me?' I asked gently.

'Of course, Max,' Shurf smiled gently.

I sighed, concentrated And sent a call to Numminorix Kuta, our sniffler, a young man a with acute sense of smell.

'Numminorix?' I called. 'I need your help!'

'I'm coming, Max,' Numminorix said eagerly. 'Where are you?'

'You know, come to the Street of Lilac Cats, I'll be there soon,' I commanded.

'All right, Max, I'm coming!' Numminorix said eagerly And broke the connection.

'Well, I have to use the Dark Way to go to that darn Street of Lilac Cats,' I sighed. 'Follow me, will you?'

'Of course, Max,' Shurf said evenly.

'All right, Max,' Midori nodded smiling gently.

I concentrated, there was darkness And a sensation of falling, And the next moment I was in the Street of the Lilac Cats. It was a rather long a quiet street with old houses. Numminorix was already waiting for me there, all beaming with anticipation. Several moments Later Shurf And Midori, holding Aleš's hand, appeared there too.

'What happened, Max?' Numminorix asked briskly.

'Disappearances,' I answered him concisely. 'And No tracks.'

Numminorix nodded briefly.

'Juffin, how many people have disappeared, And when?' I asked my boss in Silent Speech.

'Five people, And all disappeared today,' Juffin answered gravely. 'Their relatives came to the House by the Bridge promptly. Husbands, wives, children, brothers, sisters, all dazzled And desolate. So I came to that darn street myself And checked it for any tracks of the criminals. There were none. And the relatives seem to not be lying when they tell that they have Nothing to Do with this matter.'

'Just great!' I said ironically. 'Okay, I'll see what I can Do. Their addresses?'

Juffin told their addresses And names to me. I sighed And walked to the first house, Number ten. Midori, Aleš, Shurf And Numminorix followed me diligently.

'Most interesting, Max, disappearances, No tracks, And the relatives aren't lying,' Midori remarked gently.

'Exactly,' Shurf said evenly.

'Its all very confusing,' Aleš shook his head.

'Yeah,' Numminorix agreed.

I nodded sadly.

Number ten was a two storey pink house with a stepped gable, Gray tile roof, two hexagonal orioles on the side with delicate white carving under the windows And a large arched wooden door with delicate tracery around it. The house of Anell Varon, a professor of the Royal University, And his wife Tanita Varon, a housewife. They had No children. This evening Professor Varon disappeared without any trace. I sighed, walked to the door And knocked on it firmly but gently.

'Who is there?' a teary female voice asked.

'Lady Tanita Varon? It's me, Sir Max of the Secret Investigative Force, please let me in,' I asked gently.

'All right, Sir Max,' she sighed, And the door opened.

Lady Tanita was a petite woman with dark eyes And long dark hair, in a midnight blue looxi And a sea Green skaba. She was all teary eyed but nevertheless was shocked to see on her doorstep not only formidable Sir Max but the Grand Magician of the Order of the Seven Leaf Clover And three strangers, two of them in foreign clothes And one with golden eyes.

'Lady Tanita, I'm Sir Max,' I said gentky. 'Sir Shurf Lonli-Lokli you know, obviously, And this is my colleague Sir Numminorix Kuta And my friends, Hiryuu-no Midori and Aleš Rebhan.'

Lady Tanita nodded bleakly.

'Please come into the sitting room, gentlemen,' she said quietly.

We nodded And followed her into a cozy sitting room with Red plush armchairs, a dark oval table, an amber coloured fluffy Kettari carpet on the floor And lovely landscapes on the walls. We sat down into the armchairs.

'Now, Lady Tanita, please tell us what happened today,' I asked gentky.

Lady Tanita nodded but suddenly started to sob hysterically. I looked at her panically, for I can't stand female tears, they always leave me very lost.

'Lady Tanita, please breathe deeply, that should help,' Shurf said evenly.

Midori just stared at her hypnotically, And Aleš And Numminorix smiled reassuringly to her.

'Oh thank you very much, Sir Shurf, it really helps,' Lady Tanita sighed. 'Well, my husband, Anell, he's a professor of the Royal University, as you Maybe know, And today he had lectures only in the first half of the day, And then he returned home And went to read in his study. Then I called him down for dinner, but he didn't answer my call. I went to his study, but he wasn't there! Then I searched all around the house but there was No trace of him anywhere! Well, then I went to the House by the Bridge, right to the Secret Investigative Force, And told them everything! That's all I can say, gentlemen! '

I nodded sadly. She wasn't lying all right.

I rose And started to search tracks all around the house. But I found only tracks of Lady Tanita and her hapless husband. I returned to the sitting room and sighed.

'No track of the criminal,' I stated. 'Would you, Shurf?...'

Shurf nodded briefly And left the sitting room. Some time Later he returned to the sitting room And Shook his head sadly.

'I also feel No tracks of anyone else but the Varons, Max,' he said regretfully.

I nodded grimly.

Meanwhile Lady Tanita looked as if she was about to drop dead on the floor, And not only from her stress. Shurf And me are very powerful wizards, And if we both tread on someone's tracks he feels quite bad.

'Oh, Sorry, Lady Tanita, we had to tread in your tracks,' I apologised hotly.

Shurf looked at her, rose, walked to her And put his palm on her back. She looked up And smiled gently And sadly.

'Oh, thank you very much, Sir Shurf,' she said gently. 'And don't apologise, Sir Max, I understand that it's your work.'

I smiled gently to her.

'Now Numminorix, would you please look for foreign scents around here?' I requested.

'Yes Max,' Numminorix nodded briefly And went upstairs. Some time Later he returned beaming.

'There is a foreign scent, Max, a very strange one, in fact, it smells of furs, unknown incense, leather And roast meat!' he reported brightly. 'It appears in Sir Anell's study and goes to the front door!'

'Oh, not that again!' I groaned. 'Another foreigner that uses not only Dark Way but confounding or invisibility spell, just great!'

'It seems so,' Shurf nodded.

Midori smiled gently at me. Aleš smiled gently too. Numminorix smiled brightly.

Lady Tanita stared at us.

'Don't worry, Lady Tanita, we shall Do our best to find your husband,' I assured her firmly.

'Yes, Lady Tanita, we shall Do everything possible to return your husband to you safe And sound, ' Shurf said evenly.

Lady Tanita smiled weakly at us.

'Thank you, gentlemen,' she said gently.

We left Lady Tanita's house And walked to the next victim's house.

It was the Same in all the houses, distraught relatives, No foreign tracks And that very peculiar scent. Numminorix followed the strange scent from the last house to the street And then stopped in his tracks.

'The scent leads to Xumgat, Max,' he said apologetically.

I just nodded grimly. I had a sense of déjà vu.

'Well, we have to follow the scent to another world,' I stated resolutely.

They nodded briefly.

'Numminorix and me have to go there, And Shurf will go with me anyways, I know,' I continued. 'But you, Midori And Aleš, you don't have to go with us.'

'I'll go with you, Max, I'm a dragon after all,' Midori said resolutely.

'And I'm going with Midek,' Aleš said firmly.

'All right,' I nodded smiling. 'Numminorix, lead us please!'

Numminorix nodded smiling brightly. Shurf concentrated, And in the next moment he had two icy blue gloves And two large protective gauntlets in his hands. He donned the gloves then the gauntlets neatly And nodded to me. I nodded to him.

Next I was in the indescriptible void, And felt Shurf's reassuring calm, Numminorix's eager anticipation, Midori's quiet force And Aleš's merry inquisitiveness.

Next moment we we're in a village of poor straw covered shacks, over which a tall dark pentagonal stone tower with conical tiled roof was looming.

'A very inspiring view, I have to say!' I grimaced.

'Yes, a rather bleak outlook,' Shurf agreed.

Numminorix and Aleš grimaced too. And Midori sighed.

Some sullen peasants in drab clothing passed by us. I called one middle aged man, 'Hey!'

He stopped And looked bleakly at me.

'What is this place called?' I asked a quickly. But he shook his head And ran away quickly. I cursed.

'Most strange,' Shurf observed.

'Yeah,' I agreed sighing.

Midori, Aleš And Numminorix shook their heads in surprise.

I tried to speak with other peasants, but with the Same result.

'What, they're so frightened by their Lord that they don't want to tell us anything?' I asked.

'Yes, it seems so,' Shurf nodded calmly.

'Well, then I have No choice,' I sighed. Shurf nodded firmly.

Midori And Numminorix looked at me with sympathy. Aleš just looked at me curiously.

I looked at the nearest villager, a tall strong young man in drab shirt And trousers, snapped my fingers And sent a little Green ball of light at him. When it touched him with a splash, he looked blankly at me And asked without any expression, 'How can I serve you, master?'

I winced. I hate this spell, but sometimes, like now, it can be very useful.

'What is this place called?' I asked firmly.

'Ellisen,' the young man said flatly.

'Who is the Lord of this place?' I continued.

'Sieur Glairivill,' the young man answered.

'What is he like?' I asked.

'Oh, he's a terrible wizard! ' the young pesant answered hotly. 'He sacrifices people for his ungodly witchcraft! And if someone gainsays him, he just kills them!'

I nodded grimly. So did all my friends.

'And does he abduct people as well?' I continued.

'Yes, lately he started to abduct people, from other fiefs too, they say he needs them for some horrible ritual to gain power!' the young man said, wide eyed from fear. 'What will happen if he gains even more power, I don't know, Maybe he'ml conquer all the world!'

I looked grimly at my friends. They nodded to me resolutely.

'Okay, forget our conversation and be free from my power,' I commanded.

The young man went limp And then shook his head violently And ran away quickly.

Shurf looked at me And I looked at him. We nodded to each other resolutely.

'Well, about incinerating this culprit I shall have No qualms whatsoever,' Shurf said evenly but ominously, And his dark Gray eyes flashed with anger.

'And I'll have No qualms whatsoever about you incinerating him too,' I nodded grimly.

'I'll carry you to the tower on my back,' Midori said resolutely. 'I can bear you four easily.'

'All right, let's go then,' I nodded firmly.

Midori's outlines blurred, And in a moment before us was a long slender light Green dragon with four elegant paws but without wings, with large golden eyes.

Shurf climbed easily on the dragon's back And gave his hand to the rest of us in turn, to help us climb on the dragon's back too. Midori shuddered with his powerful muscles And soared up into the air, he had No wings And so didn't need any running to lift up.

We soared above the pitiful village, up to the top of the dark high tower. I saw in one window a tall strong man in furs And leather, some large flashing dark sphère in front of him, And some people lying unconscious on the floor, both dressed in Echo fashion And in other clothes too.

'Midori, can you blow out the window?' I asked urgently.

'But of course I can, Max,' Midori smiled gently. A blue lighting shot from his paw And to the z window. In the next moment there was just a dark hole instead of the window. Midori flew right to the hole And put his head And front paws in. We climbed into the room from his back quickly.

The man in leather And furs had long blonde eyes And icy Cold blue eyes. He was making some magical passes above the dark sphère And the people on the floor. When he saw us, his eyes flashed angrily.

'Who are you to interrupt my ritual!?' he shouted angrily. 'My sphère, the Sphère of Glairivill, is almost complete, And then I'll conquer the world!'

'Sorry, I'm strongly against that,' I said coldly. 'Shurf?'

Sir Shurf removed his left protective gauntlet And raised his left hand quickly. His hand made a graceful arc, And in the next moment there was but a pile of ash where Sieur Glairivill stood.

I breathed with relief. But the dark sphère still gleamed ominously.

'Aleš, can you check if they're still alive?' I requested.

Aleš nodded briefly, walked to the poor wretches on the floor And checked their pulse.

'Alive, thank Gods,' he reported smiling gently. I nodded.

Numminorix walked to those people who we're dressed according to Echo fashion, And sniffed them.

'Everyone here, Sir Anell And others,' he reported. I smiled gently to him.

'Now Shurf, what about that darn Sphère?' I asked.

Shurf raised his left hand And pointed it to the sphère. But it didn't turn to ashes.

'Midori, Maybe you can destroy it?' I asked a bit unsure.

Midori nodded And pointed his right paw at the darn sphère. The blue lightning shot from his paw And hit the sphère. It dissolved with a loud pop.

I let out a deep breath of relief. Shurf smiled gently at me. Midori smiled gently And slyly. Aleš smiled gently, And Numminorix smiled brightly.

Shurf replaced his left gauntlet neatly.

'Now let's search the tower for dangerous magical artifacts,' he observed.

'Oh of course Shurf, we have to Do it!' I hit my face with my palm.

I snapped my fingers And hid the people from Echo in my hand. And then we went to search the tower meticulously, Sir Shurf wouldn't let me to pass even the smallest closet. We found many curious things that Shurf confiscated And hid in his hand, like grimoires and deadly charmed Rings. At last we went down to the village. Peasants all we're gathered in a crowd at the foot of the tower And clamoured loudly. When they saw us they shouted loudly in admiration.

'Hail to the Doughty knights who tamed a dragon And saved our village from an evil Lord! ' they cried at the top of their lungs.

'Er, we aren't knights, And the dragon isn't tamed, he's our friend...' I tried to say.

'What are your names, valiant knights?' one middle aged man asked.

'Eh, I'm Sir Max, And these are Sir Shurf Lonli-Lokli, Sir Numminorix Kuta And Sir Aleš Rebhan,' I blurted out. 'And our dragon friend is Prince Hiryuu-no Midori...'

'Welcome to our feast, noble knights!' the middle aged man exclaimed. 'You delivered our village from an abominable yoke, And we're glad to entertain you!'

I nodded dazzled. Shurf looked at me with a twinkle in his eyes. Aleš smiled gently. Numminorix smiled brightly. And Midori a smiled gently And slyly.

Some time Later we were all sitting at long rough wooden tables, on long rough wooden benches. The tables we're full of food, golden brown roast ducks And chickens, large golden brown pies, vegetable soups, salads from fresh herbs, And jugs of ale. The middle aged man who welcomed us turned to be the village Elder, Master Arnulf. The villagers drank to our health, And we were dazzled, even calm And composed Sir Shurf.

'Noble knights, as now the village of Ellisen has No Lord, we humbly implore one of you to become our Lord,' Master Arnulf said suddenly.

We stared at him wide eyed, well, all except Shurf who just frowned gently. We couldn't exactly tell them that of us four only Aleš was possibly a Knight. In Echo the title 'Sir' before name is just a honorific used for all men, And not a sign of knighthood.

'Well, er, Sir Numminorix and me are high officers in our King's service, so we can't live here,' I explained. 'Sir Aleš is the High Steward of his own King. And Sir Shurf is a Grand Master of a large Order...'

And then Master Arnulf looked at Shurf thoughtfully.

'Messieur Grand Master, couldn't you annex Ellisen to your Order's lands?' he asked hopefully. 'I know that all Orders are very powerful, so you shall défend us!'

Shurf looked at him doubtfully.

'For the record, it was Sir Shurf who slayed your former Lord,' I wedged in.

Shurf looked reproachfully at me And then fell thoughtful.

'Master Arnulf, I must tell you that our Order is magical, but we're benevolent wizards,' he informed the Elder.

'Oh, that's very good!' Arnulf smiled. 'If your Order is magical, then you will défend us very well!'

Shurf nodded briefly.

'And your King won't object to our Order in his country?' he inquired tentatively.

'He won't object if you won't fight him,' Arnulf answered firmly.

Shurf nodded.

'Well then, I agree, Master Arnulf,' he announced. 'Ellisen shall become one of the résidences of the Order of the Seven Leaf Clover. I shall send some Junior And Senior Magicians here, And they'll set to improve the conditions of your village, because frankly, at present it is in a terrible state.'

'Yes, Messieur Grand Master, Sieur Glairivill didn't care about us at all,' Arnulf nodded sadly.

'Well, now I'll look to it that you're taken care of very well,' Sir Shurf promised, his dark Gray eyes flashing with anger.

'Thank you very much, Messieur Grand Master!' Arnulf exclaimed gratefully.

'You're welcome, Master Arnulf,' Shurf bowed gracefully.

I smiled. Sir Shurf, very tall And lean, with stern handsome face And piercing dark Gray eyes, in a white looxi with broad blue rim, a white skaba And a white turban, looked majestically. I admired my best friend.

Aleš smiled gently at us. Numminorix smiled brightly. And Midori, lying on the lawn by the tables, smiled gently And slyly.

'Master Arnulf, could you tell me n more about your land?' Shurf requested gently. 'We flew on our dragon, so we don't quite know what land is this.'

'Oh, I see,' Arnulf nodded. 'This land is the Kingdom of Xaneria, it's ruled by King Ranell the Third. He's struggling to keep peace in this land, as there are many Lords here who want power And fight each other, the Orders And the King. Of the mightiest Lords of the land, Count Rassill Erve supports the King because he's the King's maternal uncle And brought him up. And Duke Seyron Shazell And Marquis Reyf Erlon want only power, so they're against the King And Count Erve. Also there are many Orders here, the priestly orders are Albernians, Jarvians And Garrolleans, And knightly Orders are that of the Shining Star, Ever-Flowering Bush And Golden Mountain. All of them want more lands,And the Order of the Golden Mountain wants more power. Of our Orders the priestly orders use healing magic, And the Orders of the Ever-Flowering Bush And Golden Mountain use both fighting And healing magic.'

'What a confusing state of affairs,' Shurf shook his head.

'Yes,' Arnulf nodded sadly. 'And what about your land, Messieur Grand Master?'

'Well, in our land, the Unified Kingdom, there is a very strong King, His Majesty Gurig the Eighth, And only one Order, the Order of the Seven Leaf Clover, the Blessed And Unique,' Shurf answered. 'And our Order supports the King unconditionally.'

Master Arnulf nodded briefly.

'Some time in our land there was a situation like yours,' Shurf informed him evenly. 'There we're many magical Orders in our land, And they all fought with each other And the King And nearly tore our land to pièces. But then King Gurig the Seventh, the father of the present King, in union with the Order of the Seven Leaf Clover, conquered all the other orders, And since then we have peace And order in our land. That was in the times of the former Grand Magician, my predecessor. And now that I'm in his place, I'm trying my best to uphold the peace in the Unified Kingdom.'

Arnulf nodded with understanding.

'So I'm not going to fight anyone, Master Arnulf, I fight only when I have No choice,' Shurf said gravely.

'And if some of your subordinates start to fight with someone?' Master Arnulf asked curiously.

'Then they'll deeply regret it,' Shurf said evenly but ominously.

Master Arnulf nodded smiling.

Some time Later we said goodbye to the hospitable villagers And rose from the table. I wished that we arrive in Echo fifteen minutes after we left, And Xumgat took us all in. We arrived to the House by the Bridge, into the Room of Common Work. Melifaro was sitting there And Reading a newspaper. Midori changed to his human form before we entered Xumgat, so there was No dragon in the room, just five young men. Melifaro looked attentively at us.

'Oh, Mr Bad Dream, Numminorix, Lomki-Loksi!' he beamed. 'And who is that!?'

'Melifaro, my surname is Lonli-Lokli, take pains to remember it at last,' Shurf said evenly.

Melifaro just grinned.

'Prince Hiryuu-no Midori And Sir Aleš Rebhan, Sir Melifaro, the Diurnal Representative of the Venerable Head of the Minor Secret Investigative Force of Echo,' I introduced sighing.

Aleš looked at Melifaro, who was wearing a Red looxi, Green And gold skaba And a violet turban, And laughed.

Melifaro frowned, then looked at Aleš And laughed loudly too.

'So this is your colleague who is quick witted like me And dresses like me, Max?' Aleš said wiping tears of laughter from his eyes.

'Yeah,' I smiled broadly.

'And you are that dragon Prince? ' Melifaro turned to Midori.

'Yes, Sir Melifaro,' Midori bowed.

'Just Melifaro, please,' my colleague grinned.

'All right, Melifaro,' Midori smiled gently And slyly.

At this point the door of Juffin's office opened a bit.

'By all that laughing I see that you've returned, Max,' Juffin stated. 'Then come here And report to me please!'

'All right,' I sighed And entered my boss' office. Shurf And Numminorix came with me.

'Sir, the culprit is found And destroyed, And the Order of the Seven Leaf Clover, the Blessed And Unique, now has one more résidence,' I reported grinning.

'And now in details, Max,' Juffin requested, his eyes sparking with interest.

I sighed And started to tell about our Odyssey.

Juffin listened to me patiently And then turned to Shurf.

'Now your point of view, Sir Shurf,' he requested.

Shurf started to tell the story how he saw it. Juffin nodded at times And then sighed.

'All right, it's good that you stopped him,' he said thoughtfully. 'Almost too late, of course, but we couldn't know about that darn wizard before he started to abduct the citizens of Echo. What lust for power can Do with a human, it's awful!'

He sighed deeply. I nodded sighing too.

'Yes, Sir Juffin,' Shurf sighed.

'Now return those poor souls to their loving relatives, And you're free for now, Max,' Juffin smiled.

'Okay, sir,' I grinned.

'And I'll return to Jafax, I have to place those dangerous artifacts under secure custody And to tell my Senior Magicians about our new résidence in another world,' Shurf smiled gently.

'And I'll go home to Henna and kids,' Numminorix smiled brightly.

Juffin nodded briefly.

We left Juffin's study.

'Well, I'm going home now, Numminorix is going home And Shurf to Jafax Castle,' I grinned. 'Aleš, Midori, Melifaro, will you go with me?'

'Sure,' Aleš smiled gently.

'Of course,' Midori smiled gently And slyly.

'Yeah!' Melifaro grinned.

'All right, guys, I'm going to return the inhabitants of that Street of the Lilac Cats to their relatives, And then it's to the Shaggy House,' I smiled.

They nodded gently.

Midori took Aleš's hand And I concentrated. In the next moment we we're in the Street of the Lilac Cats. I went to the Number Ten And knocked on the door gently.

'Yes?' Lady Tanita asked weakly.

'Lady Tanita, it's Sir Max again, I've brought your husband to you, safe And sound!' I announced.

The door flew open instantly. Lady Tanita looked at us And blinked, not seeing her husband with us, but seeing Bright Sir Melifaro.

'Sir Anell is here, in my hand, don't worry,' I grinned. 'And this is my colleague Sir Melifaro.

Melifaro beamed to her.

'Good evening, Sir Melifaro,' Lady Tanita smiled brightly.

'Good evening, Lady Tanita,' Melifaro smiled broadly.

Lady Tanita led us to her sitting room again, this time not bleak but shining with hope And disbelief. I went to one armchair, shook my hand, And Sir Anell plopped down on the armchair. He was a middle aged man of average built, with Gray eyes And short blonde hair, in a black looxi And a Gray skaba, without a turban. He opened his eyes And blinked.

'Tanita?' he asked unsurely. 'What?...'

Lady Tanita darted to him And embraced him tightly. 'Anell! You're alive!'

'And why I shouldn't be alive?' the professor asked a bit lost.

I smiled gently looking at the Happy couple. Melifaro grinned. Aleš smiled gently, And Midori smiled gently And slyly.

'Well, you were abducted And almost killed by an evil wizard from another world, but now he's destroyed, so don't worry,' I grinned.

'But how?...' he asked bewildered.

'I'll tell you that story Later if you want to know it,' I smiled gently. 'Now I have to return all other abducted people to their nearest And dearest, there are four of them.'

The Varons looked at me a bit dazzled And then nodded.

'Good evening, Lady Tanita, Sir Anell!' I grinned And left.

Four more such moving scenes, And we were done. I grinned to my friends. 'Well, let's go to the Shaggy House now?'

'Certainly,' Midori smiled gently.

'All right,' Aleš smiled gentky.

'Sure,' Melifaro grinned.

And we used the Dark Way to get to the Shaggy House.

When we entered my sitting room, Basilio was still sitting there, moving the discs of the Hanoi Tower, Armstrong And Ella, my kitties, still in her lap.

'Oh, Max!' she cried merrily. 'Oh, Midori, Sir Aleš, Sir Melifaro!'

'Call me just Aleš,' Aleš smiled gently.

'Basilio, I've already told you to call me just Melifaro,' Melifaro grinned.

'All right, Aleš, Sorry, Melifaro,' Basilio smiled gently.

We sat down on the soft armchairs And sofas.

'Max, Midori, Aleš, where have you been?' Basilio asked eagerly.

I grinned And started to tell the story about the Sphère of Glairivill for the second time now. Basilio listened avidly to me.

'Midori, you're so awesome!' Basilio shouted at last.

Midori smiled gently to her.

'Domo arigatou gozaimasu, Basilio,' he said gently.

'And me?' I asked with mock offense.

'Oh, Max, you're very awesome too, of course, but Midori is a dragon!' she explained blushing a bit.

'I understand,' I smiled gently.

'Midori, I feel that we can relate to each other like I can't with humans, see?' Basilio said shyly.

' Yes, quite, Basilio,' Midori smiled gently.

'So our Lovki-Lokki now has to care about a résidence of his Order that's in another world?' Melfaro grinned. 'Amazing!'

'Yes,' I smiled. 'At least those poor villagers are in very good hands now.'

'Good but very dangerous,' Melifaro grinned.

I nodded grinning.

'What those poor people suffered from that beast's hands, I shudder to think,' Aleš sighed. 'And if he didn't start abducting burgesses of Echo, who knows what would happen?'

'Yeah,' I sighed. 'But praised be the Magicians, he made that fatal lapse.'

'Yeah,' Aleš smiled gently.

At this point Sir Shurf appeared in the sitting room And sat down in one of the armchairs gracefully.

'Well, I've put the artifacts from Ellisen into safe keeping places And convinced my Senior Magicians that I hasn't gone mad to establish a résidence of our Order in another world, And that was much worse than Sir Glairivill with his Sphère, believe me,' he sighed.

'I know, right?' I sighed with sympathy.

Shurf smiled gently to me.

'Midori, I've mastered the Hanoi Tower, look!' Basilio said eagerly And demonstrated her skills to Midori.

'Very good, Basilio,' he nodded smiling gently.

She blushed deeply.

'Basilio, I have an important thing to tell you,' Midori said seriously. 'I want to make an oath of sworn brotherhood with you, then you'll be my younger sister And I your elder brother as if we were related by blood, I'll be able to défend you like my younger sister, And so on. Do you agree?'

Basilio's eyes widened, And she fell thoughtful.

'Yes, I agree,' she said firmly at last.

'Very good,' Midori smiled gently. 'Then let's swear the oath of brotherhood right now, Yes? '

Basilio nodded firmly.

Aleš And Melifaro stared at them. Shurf just nodded calmly.

'Max, Sir Shurf, Aleš, Melifaro, be our witnesses,' Midori asked solemnly.

'Certainly,' Shurf said evenly.

'Sure,' Melifaro grinned.

'Of course,' I smiled gently.

'By all means,' Aleš smiled gently.

Midori nodded briefly.

'And what does the ritual consist from?' Melifaro asked curiously.

'Oh, we just swear the oath And then have a feast,' Midori explained gently.

'All right,' Melifaro nodded satisfied.

'It would also be good to have a written form of the oath, but I can't write your language,' Midori said thoughtfully.

'Oh, Midori, it's No problém at all!' I grinned. 'Here we usually use self inscribing tablets, you think what you want to write on it, And the text just appears on it!'

'Really?' Midori asked amazed. 'That's very good!'

'Yeah,' I grinned. I I understood why he needed a written form of the oath, of course. It would be a proof that Basilio is indeed his sworn sister, for the future.

'We would need a secluded place for the oath, And some incense,' Midori requested.

'Okay, let's go to my study,' I suggested. 'And I can pull out some Oriental incense for you.'

Midori nodded satisfied. Basilio smiled shyly. Shurf smiled gently. Melifaro smiled brightly. Aleš smiled gently.

Midori offered his hand to Basilio. She took it gently. I led them all upstairs to my study, a little room in a turret on the roof, you could hardly think of anything more secluded in Shaggy House.

Midori led Basilio to the middle of the room. Shurf, me, Melifaro And Aleš stood in a line by one wall. Midori looked at me.

I knelt, put my hand be under the carpet And thought of Chinese temples, Buddhas and incense sticks burning in front of golden statues. My hand went numb, And I felt two thin sticks in it. I pulled my hand from under the carpet, And right enough, there we're two Red sticks in my fingers. I grinned And handed them to Midori.

'Red, very good, suitable for celebrations,' Midori smiled with approval. He gave one stick to Basilio and retained one himself, holding it upright. Basilio also held hers upright, smiling shyly. Midori snapped his fingers And a little fire appeared on his incense stick. Then he did the Same with Basilio's incense stick. She smiled in admiration. Midori smiled gently And slyly to her.

Midori took a deep breath And started:

'We, people of the Same thoughts And aspirations, burn incense before Buddha, And wish to bind ourselves with the fragrance of the golden orchids, in accordance to the example set before us in Peach Garden. Though born at different times, we wish to die at the Same year, month, And day. If there be riches, we shall spend them together. If thère be misfortune, we shall suffer together. If happiness shines upon us, we shall enjoy it together. If our hearts be not one, but two, then let the spirits punish us.'

He looked at Basilio. She coughed gently And intoned softly:

'We, people of the Same thoughts And aspirations, burn incense before Buddha, And wish to bind ourselves with the fragrance of the golden orchids, in accordance with the example set before us in Peach Garden. Though born at different times, we wish to die at the Same year, month And day. If there be riches, we shall spend them together. If there be misfortune, we shall suffer it together. If happiness shines on us, we shall enjoy it together. If our hearts be not one, but two, then let the spirits punish us.'

She sighed deeply And looked at Midori fondly. He smiled gently to her.

Midori blew out both incense sticks carefully.

'Now we are brother And sister,' he smiled gently. 'I'm one thousand and two hundred thirty two years old, And you?'

'I'm just three years old,' Basilio confessed blushing.

'So I'm your elder brother, And you're my younger sister, just as I thought,' Midori smiled. 'You can call me niisan or niichan, it means elder brother. And I'll call you imouto-san or imouto-chan, it means younger sister. The form with San is more official, And the form with chan is more affectionate.'

'All right, niichan,' Basilio smiled gently.

Midori smiled gently to her.

'Just three years old, you're just a nestling, imouto-chan!' he said fondly.

Basilio blushed smiling.

'One thousand years old!' Aleš exclaimed. 'Midek, I didn't know that you were quite so old!'

''Well, I'm a dragon, Aleš,' Midori smiled gently And slyly. 'In fact, I'm young for a dragon, we live for several thousands of years!'

Aleš shook his head in wonder.

'Who is Buddha?' Melifaro asked curiously.

'He was a great philosopher And teacher whom we in the East lands admire,' Midori explained.

Melifaro nodded satisfied.

'What happened in the Peach Garden?' Shurf asked inquisitively.

'Well, in the times of the fall of the great Han Empire there lived three strong And brave warriors called Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei,' Midori explained smiling gently. 'They made fast friends And swore brotherhood in the Peach Garden. Later Liu Bei became the first King of the Kingdom of the Eastern Han, And Guan Yu And Zhang Fei became his faithful generals.'

Shurf nodded satisfied.

'And why golden orchids?' I asked curiously.

'Golden orchids are the symbol of stability and attractiveness of the union,' Midori explained.

I nodded grinning.

'Sir Shurf, Do you happen to have a self inscribing tablet on you?' Midori asked gently.

'Of course, Your Highness,' Shurf answered evenly, reached into his looxi And produced a clear self inscribing tablet which he handed to Midori. I grinned to Shurf. He smiled gently to me.

'You just need to word the text in your mind, Your Highness, And then to imagine that you transfer it on the tablet as a Red dot,' Shurf explained gently. Midori nodded briefly.

Midori concentrated, And in a moment the words of the oath appeared on the tablet in the language of the Unified Kingdom. Midori concentrated again, And on the tablet appeared the words, 'Prince Hiryuu-no Shinichiro Midori, of Sychrov Castle, born on the 15th day of the eighth month of the 20th year under the device of Shining Peace'.

Then Midori smiled gently And handed the tablet to Basilio. She concentrated, And on the tablet under Midori's name And birth date appeared the words, 'Basilio, of Shaggy House, Shining Street, Echo, Uguland, Unified Kingdom, born on the 256th day of the Year 135 of the Era of the Code.'

Basilio smiled gently And handed the tablet to Midori.

'256th day of the Year 135?' Midori frowned. 'You don't have months here?'

'No,' Basilio smiled gently. 'Max told me about months, but we don't have them here, we just count days from the start of the year.'

Midori shook his head, And so did Aleš. I grinned. Melifaro smiled brightly, And Shurf smiled gently.

Midori handed the tablet to Shurf. 'In your keeping the written form of the oath would be most safe, Sir Shurf.'

'Thank you for your faith in me, Your Highness, I shall preserve it diligently,' Shurf said evenly And hid the tablet in an inner pocket of his looxi.

Midori smiled gently And slyly to him.

'What is the device of Shining Peace?' Melifaro asked curiously.

'Well, in Zipangu And neighbouring lands monarchs take auspicious devices for their reign,' Midori explained. 'Shining Peace was the device of the reign that my august father used when I was born.'

Melifaro nodded satisfied.

'Now, Basilio, you have some duties And privilèges as a result of our oath,' Midori said seriously. 'Now you have to call my father otousan And my mother And stepmother okaasan, it means father And mother, And call my brothers niisan, because they're all older than you. You have to bow respectfully when you meet them, And theoretically you have to obey them. And in practice, well, my father, mother And brothers will never ask you to Do something terrible, And Empress Yuri swore not to Do my friends any harm. You can't marry any of my brothers, though it's unlikely that you would want to, really. And my brothers' wives are now your sisters in law, you have to bow to them And obey them too, but they wouldn't ask anything outrageous from you. Kurenai is married to a nice lady called O-Tsuru, a daughter of one of my father's advisers, Sanada Dainagon. Kuchiba is married to a sweet lady named Sakura, the daughter of Tamagawa Chunagon. Ominaeshi is married to a gentle lady named Kaede, a daughter of Naniwa Dainagon. And Murasaki is married to Princess Dobroslava of Velvary, whose castle he guards. And my future wife shall be your sister in law too. I'm betrothed now, to Princess Adéla of Červená Lhota. Well, And you'll have to wear mourning if one of them dies, or myself, but thank Gods, that's not going to happen anytime soon! And you're now a Princess, as my parents are your parents. You have right to inherit after me, my brothers or my father. Not that any of us shall die any time soon, as I said.'

He smiled gently And slyly.

'And I suppose I shall have to bow to your creator, Sir Trikki Lai, as if he were my stepfather or Foster father,' he added smiling gently And slyly. 'Sir Trikki isn't married?'

'No,' Shurf answered concisely. 'As far as I can say.'

Midori nodded satisfied.

'And what of Murasaki's mother, is she dead?' Basilio asked.

'No, she's alive And well, but she's my father's concubine, so she isn't my stepmother,' Midori explained gently.

'Concubine is like a mistress, right?' Basilio asked curiously.

'Yes, but more officially,' Midori explained.

Basilio nodded briefly.

'Is that why you didn't want to fight your stepmother, because you have to obey her?' Shurf askef suddenly. 'Her And your father.'

'In part Yes, And in part because I don't like struggle for power, it's easier for me to go into exile,' Midori nodded sadly.

'Good that you met Shurf And me then,' I grinned. 'We didn't have to obey Empress Yuri or your father, And we don't like struggles for power too, that's why we Stop them when we can!'

'Yes, Max, that was very fortunate for His Highness indeed,' Shurf said evenly

I grinned to him. He smiled gently to me.

'Max, Sir Shurf, And why don't you swear an oath of brotherhood too?' Midori suggested suddenly. 'You're closer than many friends, And even closer than many brothers!'

I looked dumbfounded at him. Shurf looked at him thoughtfully.

'That's a very good idea,' he said at last. 'Dont you think so, Max?'

I thought a bit, And then nodded firmly, 'Yes.'

'Very good!' Midori smiled gently And slyly. 'Aleš, Melifaro, my little sister And I shall be your witnesses then.'

I nodded grinning. Midori And Basilio went to Aleš And Melifaro, And Shurf And me went to the center of the room. I knelt And put my hand under the carpet And thought s about Chinese temples And golden Buddhas again. My hand went numb as usually And then I felt two sticks in my hand. I withdrew my hand from be under the carpet And saw that I was holding two Red incense sticks. Bravo, Sir Max! I handed one stick to Shurf And retained one myself. Sir Shurf snapped his fingers, And a little flame appeared on them. He lit his incense stick neatly And then lit mine as carefully and smiled gently to me. I smiled fondly to him.

He coughed gently And recited the oath resolutely And with inspiration. Then he looked at me.

I took a deep breath And recited the oath clearly And resolutely.

He smiled fondly at me. I smiled gently to him.

'Well, I'm two hundred And thirty five years old,' Shurf said evenly. 'And you?'

'And I'm just 45 years old,' I smiled gently.

Shurf blew out both our incense sticks carefully.

'Your Highness, how Do you say 'younger brother' in your language?' he asked briskly.

'Otouto-San or otouto-chan,' Midori answered smiling gently And slyly.

Shurf looked fondly at me And said, 'You're so very young, otouto-San!'

'Well, thanks for not calling me a nestling at least, niisan,' I grinned.

'Well, that's because humans don't have nests, otouto-san,' Shurf smiled gently.

I grinned at him, my best friend And now my elder brother.

'45!? Mr Bad Dream, you're just a child!' Melifaro grinned. This guy was anything but tactful!

I groaned.

'Why just a child, Melifaro?' Aleš asked surprised. 'Where I am from it's quite a mature age, our King Jiří is 45. And I myself am 32 years old. I would think that you are about the Same age as me, Melifaro!'

'Aleš, I was born on the first day of the Era of the Code, I'm 135 years old,' Melifaro grinned.

Aleš shook his head dumbfounded. 'You have such long lives here!?'

'Yes, Sir Aleš, we Do,' Shurf confirmed.

'And Max And Vincent, will they live as long as you?' Aleš asked worried.

'Yes, Aleš, my boss says so, And he's very wise And knowledgeable,' I assured him.

Aleš nodded satisfied and smiled gentky to us.

'Well, praised be the Magicians, we don't need a written form of our oath, Max, as neither of us is royalty,' Shurf smiled gently. 'My father died long ago, And my mother has disappeared, And your parents are in another world. Well, Helna would be your sister in law, And that's all.'

I nodded grinning.

'Well, let's go back to my sitting room, friends! Would a big party with good food And drinks constitute a feast, Midori?'

'Yes, quite,' Midori smiled gently And slyly.

'Okay then,' I grinned.

I sent a call to a tavern nearby, the Light of Sallari, as they make very good food there. And then I started sending calls to my friends.

'Juffin, Midori And Basilio swore an oath of brotherhood, And now we're celebrating it, so please come here,' I announced.

'Midori And Basilio?' Juffin asked thoughtfully. 'Hmm...Whose idea was it?'

'Midori's, of course,' I grinned. 'I didn't even know that there was such a custom in his land, though there is in my world. When he heard who Professor Kamalkoni really was, he immediately proposed it.'

'And he's very clever,' Juffin observed. 'Such a neat solution!'

'Yeah,' I grinned.

'Well, I'm coming,' Juffin said And disappeared from my mind.

I grinned And called Numminorix.

'Numminorix, Basilio And Midori made an oath of brotherhood, And we're going to celebrate it, come here,' I grinned.

'An oath of sworn brotherhood? Like in Arvarox, Changaya And Kuankurox?' Numminorix asked eagerly. 'How interesting, I'm coming!'

'All right,' I grinned.

'Trikki?' I called Basilio's creator.

'Yes, Max?' Trikki answered eagerly.

'Basilio And Midori swore an oath of brotherhood, And we're celebrating it now, come please,' I requested.

'Oh, I heard in the Ministry that Midori is here,' he said eagerly. 'An oath of sworn brotherhood? Oh Sea, the All-Encompassing!'

'Yes,' I grinned. 'So come here quickly!'

'All right,' Trikki said with good humour.

Then I called Maldo Yoz, a genius architect And my friend.

'Maldo? Come here right now, Midori is here!' I announced. 'And Basilio and him swore brotherhood, so we're celebrating now!'

'Really!?' he said eagerly. 'Max, I'm coming right now!'

'Good,' I grinned.

I sighed wearily And then smiled at my friends.

'Juffin, Numminorix, Trikki And Maldo are coming here,' I announced.

Melifaro nodded grinning. Shurf nodded smiling gently. Basilio smiled brightly.

'Who is Maldo?' Aleš asked curiously.

'He's an architect, the head of the School of the New Ancient Architects,' I explained. 'And he's a darn genius, And, fortunately, also my friend.'

Aleš nodded satisfied.

'An architect?' Midori said dreamily. 'Very good!'

I nodded grinning.

We went downstairs to my sitting room. Droopy dropped me onto the carpet And licked me all over instantly. I picked myself from the floor And cleaned myself. Then we all sat down waiting for the order from the Light of Sallari and my friends. Midori sat near Basilio And Shurf sat near me. Melifaro And Aleš sat down randomly.

'So you say that Max has to obey me now?' Shurf asked Midori evenly.

Oh sinning Magicians! I haven't thought about that!

'Yes, but Max has the right to try to admonish you,' Midori answered smiling gently And slyly.

'Well, thanks for that at least,' I grumbled.

Shurf raised one eyebrow. Midori smiled gently And slyly. Melifaro laughed loudly. Aleš smiled gently. Basilio smiled softly.

'Well, then, listen to me, otouto-san,' Shurf said evenly. 'Don't forget to eat, And don't risk your life needlessly, will you?'

'Okay, I'll try to Do that,' I sighed. 'But you know what my job is, don't you, Shurf?'

'Yes, I know, Max,' he sighed deeply. 'But Do try at least, will you?'

'Sure,' I grinned.

Shurf nodded satisfied.

'You have a very considerate And wise elder brother, Max,' Midori smiled gently.

'Yeah, I know,' I grinned. Shurf smiled gently to me.

'You know, we in Eastern Europe have a ritual of an oath of sworn brotherhood like yours, Midori,' Aleš observed. 'It's called adelphopoesis or Ordo ad fratres faciendum. Two people who want to become sworn brothers, or sisters, or brother And sister, put their hands on the Holy Book And hold lighted candles in another hands, And the priest reads a prayer, then binds their hands with his sash And tells then that now they're brothers, not by birth, but in faith And spirit, that now they have to be always loyal to each other And not to quarrel. I was a a witness to one such oath, between my two fellow students in Evanorra University, Hynek Fojtík and Lubomír Kroupa. They we're close like brothers, as Max And Sir Shurf, And they decided to become sworn brothers And made the oath. Later Lubomír became a Professor of Medicine in Evanorra University, And Hynek became a judge in Evanorra. They're still like brothers, haven't changed a bit!'

I smiled gently looking at my best friend. He smiled gentky too.

At this point Juffin appeared in my sitting room, grinning.

'Well, I'm here,' he announced. 'Congratulations, Lady Basilio, Your Highness!'

'Thank you, Sir Juffin,' Basilio smiled shyly.

'Domo arigatou gozaimasu, Sir Juffin,' Midori bowed.

Juffin sat in one armchair smoothly.

'Juffin, you can also congratulate Sir Shurf And me, we made such an oath also,' I informed him.

'Oh, really?' Juffin looked at us attentively. 'Yes, I see that. Well, congratulations, Sir Max, Sir Shurf.'

'You approve?' I asked somewhat anxiously.

'And you thought I would disapprove And put you both into Xolomi for it?' Juffin grinned. 'Don't you know me at all, Sir Max!? If you think that's right for you, who am I to disapprove? You are both grown men And powerful wizards, after all!'

I nodded grinning.

'Well, about 'grown men'...' Melifaro butted in. 'I just learned that terrible Sir Max is just 45 years old! Imagine my stress!?'

'Well, get used to it, Sir Melifaro,' Juffin grinned.

'Oh the terror!' Melifaro moaned dramatically.

I rolled my eyes. Midori smiled gentky And slyly. Aleš smiled gently. Basilio smiled shyly.

Then Numminorix appeared in the sitting room, smiling brightly And eagerly.

'Congratulations, Basilio, congratulations, Midori!' he shouted.

'Thank you,' Basilio smiled shyly.

'Domo arigatou gozaimasu,' Midori bowed.

Numminorix smiled brightly to them And sat down in one armchair.

'So oath of sworn brotherhood!?' he said eagerly. 'How interesting!'

I nodded smiling.

'And what's more, Shurf and me swore an oath of brotherhood too!'

'Oh? But that's really great, congratulations!' Numminorix beamed.

'Thank you, my friend,' I grinned.

'Thank you, Sir Numminorix,' Shurf said evenly.

Numminorix smiled brightly to him.

'So what does the ritual consist of?' he asked curiously. 'I know that ritual can be very different in such cases. For example, in Arvarox, the future blood brothers let their blood drip into a cup of wine And then drink it together. In Changaya, they usually exchange gifts, small things like arrow heads or knucklebones if they're children, or precious belts And horses if they're adults, And then they play knuckles or sleep under one blanket. And in Kuankurox and it's colony Kuankulex they cut their fingers And press them together, exchanging their blood, And swear an oath that they'll be together And support each other always, in life or in death.'

'No No No, No blood involved here, No gifts or sleeping under one blanket either,' I grinned. 'We just recited a very moving oath And now we are going to celebrate that.'

Numminorix nodded smiling brightly.

'And how does that oath sound?'

Shurf fished inside his looxi, produced a tablet And handed it to Numminorix.

'Here is the text of the oath, Sir Numminorix, but please return it to me afterwards as it's an important document.'

'Oh, of course, Sir Shurf!' Numminorix smiled brightly. He took the tablet, studied it And then returned it to Shurf carefully.

Shurf nodded And hid the tablet inside his looxi.

'Very interesting,' Numminorix smiled brightly. 'But who is Buddha, what happened in the Peach Garden And why golden orchids?'

Midori sighed And explained everything to Numminorix.

Numminorix nodded smiling brightly.

At this point a large tray with food And drinks flew into the sitting room through an open window And landed on the carpet. There was a ceramic jug with kamra And ten ceramic cups, ten bowls with soup, ten plates with cutlets And a plate with pancakes, also ten spoons And forks.

'Is that sufficient for a feast, Midori?' I grinned.

'Between friends, quite sufficient,' he smiled gently And slyly.

I nodded grinning.

Midori And Shurf took bowls of soup And spoons And started eating neatly. Aleš took a pancake, rolled it And started munching on it. Juffin did the Same. Numminorix took a plate with a cutlet And a fork And started eating gently. Melifaro took a plate with a cutlet And started eating it quickly. Basilio took a bowl of soup And started eating it delicately. And I seized a pancake, rolled it And started devouring it.

'Numminorix, you're so knowledgeable,' Midori observed gentky.

'Well, I have six higher educations,' Numminorix grinned.

'How so?' Midori asked inquisitively.

'Well, my mom, who was a very powerful witch from the Order of the Clock of Time Backwards, told me to enjoy my life And wait till my destiny finds me. And as I inherited a lot of money from my grandmother And I liked learning, I first studied History of Magic in the University of Numbana, then philology in the Royal Supreme School, then in the Exalted Serene School of Kumon, then I studied in the Uguland School of Healers, then in the Supreme Naval School, And then in the Royal University in Echo, which I haven't finished because I encountered Sir Max who saved me from visions sent by a horrible monster who appeared in Xuron at that time. And then my acute sense of smell was appreciated by the Minor Secret Investigative Force of Echo, And I was enrolled into it,' Numminorix explained smiling brightly.

'Wow!' Aleš shouted. 'History of Magic, philology, healing, a captain's trade, And more! Numminorix, you're just amazing!'

'Oh well, that's not all, I also was apprenticed to the famous sculptor Yuxra Yukkori, to the famous cook Lalanusa Uzhiurmax, And some more sculptors, cooks, actors And armourers,' Numminorix confessed shyly.

'Wow, Yuxra Yukkori And Lalanusa Uzhiurmax!?' Melifaro shouted in amazement. 'But Yukkori has a very bad temper, And Uzhiurmax didn't take any apprentices!'

'Oh, well, they took me as their apprentice somehow,' Numminorix shrugged. 'Sir Juffin says that in the Exalted Serene School of Kumon they somehow teach you to get on well with people.'

'Well, he is likely right,' Shurf said evenly. 'So you're also a cook, Sir Numminorix?'

'No, I'm not a cook, I never worked as a cook,' Numminorix said humbly.

'Sir Numminorix, let me say that I've never worked as a cook also, but I consider myself a rather good cook nonetheless,' Shurf said austerely. 'And as you are Sir Lalanusa's only apprentice, I dare say that you must be a very good cook, which is No wonder with your excellent sense of smell.'

'Well, if you say so, Sir Shurf...' Numminorix smiled shyly.

Shurf nodded firmly.

'Oh, you're really a Jack of all trades, Numminorix!' Aleš observed.

'And master of none,' Numminorix finished smiling shyly.

I shook my head. Numminorix smiled brightly to me.

At that point Trikki Lai appeared in my sitting room.

'Good evening, Max, Melifaro, Sir Shurf, Basilio, Sir Juffin!' he smiled brightly. 'And you must be Prince Midori And Sir Aleš? Glad to tell my name, Trikki Lai, see you as in a waking dream!'

He covered his eyes with his left hand politely. We all greeted him.

'Glad to meet you, Sir Trikki!' Aleš smiled gently.

And Midori rose And made a deep bow, his arms along his sides And his upper body almost parallel to the floor.

'Konbanwa, otousan,' he said gently.

Trikki stared at him.

'I said, good evening, father,' Midori translated gently.

'Father? What!?' Trikki said dumbfounded.

'Well, Sir Trikki, you're Basilio's creator, And as I'm Basilio's sworn brother now, you're lilie my father now,' Midori explained gently.

Trikki shook his head in bewilderment.

'But you're thousand years old, And I'm just 153!'

'Well, Sir Trikki, it's the fate, what can we Do? ' Midori smiled gently.

Trikki nodded smiling brightly, sat down And took one pancake.

'Oh, food from the Light of Sallari, I see?' he observed. 'Non-muyagi fish soup, non-goat tumts And non-Kumirian pancakes?'

'Yeah,' I grinned.

'What's with all those 'Non'?' Aleš asked curiously.

'Well, the owners of the Light of Sallari, they are from Urder, And we here in Echo don't have some ingredients that they have in Urder,' I explained grinning. 'For example, we don't have muyagi fish here, or goats. So they take other fish instead of muyagi or turkey instead of a goat And call the resulting dishes 'non-muyagi soup' or 'non-goat tumts.'

'I see,' Aleš grinned.

Midori smiled gently And slyly.

'Sir Trikki, you must be a very capable wizard to create such a wonderful creature as Basilio,' Midori observed gently.

'Well, I didn't expect that from myself,' Trikki confessed. '185th degree of magic instead of 18th, that was just crazy!'

'It happens sometimes that we amaze even ourselves, Sir Trikki,' Midori observed smiling gently.

'Yeah,' Trikki smiled brightly.

I grinned.

'So what did the ritual consist of?' Trikki asked curiously.

'We swore an oath holding lit incense sticks in our hands, And now we're celebrating it, that's all the ritual,' Midori explained smiling gently.

Trikki nodded smiling brightly.

'But there's more, Trikki,' I grinned. 'Shurf And me swore the oath of brotherhood too!'

Trikki gaped at us.

'Really!?' he beamed. 'Well, congratulations, Max, Sir Shurf! I always thought you we're like brothers, you two!'

'Thanks, Trikki!' I grinned.

'Thank you very much, Sir Trikki,' Shurf said evenly.

'Oh, congratulations to you too, Basilio, Your Highness!' Trikki exclaimed eagerly.

'Just Midori, please, as I'm your son,' Midori smiled gently And slyly.

Trikki shook his head in bewilderment but said, 'All right, Midori.'

Midori smiled gently.

'Thank you very much, Trikki,' Basilio smiled shyly.

'Domo arigatou gozaimasu, otousan,' Midori smiled gently And slyly.

Trikki smiled brightly to him

'Sir Juffin, are you really half kitsune?' Midori asked inquisitively.

'Yes, but my kind is rightfully called skarxls, shapeshifters,' Juffin informed him. 'Chiffa, silver Fox, to be more précise. Chiffas are very clever but very inquisitive at the Same time.'

'I can see,' Midori smiled gently. Juffin nodded grinning.

'Can you turn into a Fox, Sir Juffin?' Midori asked inquisitively.

'Yes, but with great effort,' Juffin explained. Midori nodded.

'Midori, what powers you dragons have?' Juffin asked curiously.

'Silent Speech, Dark Way, mind Reading, telekinesis, magic translation, magic fire, scrying, invisibility, lightning bolts,' Midori informed him.

Juffin nodded satisfied.

'What colours Do you dragons have?'

'All possible colours And shades, that's why we are often named after our colour, like me, Midori means light green,' Midori explained.

Juffin nodded. 'Are you viviparous or not?'

'Viviparous,' Midori answered.

'And how long Do you usually live?' Juffin asked curiously.

'Several thousand years,' Midori answered.

Juffin nodded satisfied.

At this point Maldo Yoz appeared in my sitting room.

'Good evening, Max, Melifaro, Basilio, Sir Shurf, Sir Juffin!' he smiled brightly. 'Your Highness, Sir Aleš, glad to tell my name, Maldo Yoz, see you as in a waking dream!'

We all greeted him.

'Glad to meet you, Sir Maldo,' Aleš smiled brightly.

'Pleased to meet you, Sir Maldo,' Midori smiled gently. 'I heard that you're a very gifted architect.'

'Really?' Maldo beamed. 'It must have been Sir Max who told you that, right? '

'Yes, Sir Maldo,' Midori smiled gentky And slyly. Maldo winked to him.

'Sir Maldo, what have you built?' Midori asked eagerly.

'Well, I built house for Sir Melifaro in the Wonderful Street, it's most like a complex puzzle outside but like a normal house inside,' Maldo started beaming.

'Most interesting!' Midori said, his eyes sparkling. 'Melifaro, shall you show it to me?'

'Well, of course!' Melifaro grinned.

Midori smiled gently.

'Then I built the Palace of Hundred Wonders, it's an enormous amusement park, with each pavilion built in the style of one country of the World, And inside...Inside each pavilion you are immersed in a vision about that country, from the point of view of one of the locals, see!? I used memories of people from all the world for this! Rather complex magic, I must say!'

'Certainly!' Midori answered with shining eyes. 'How amazing, Sir Maldo!'

'Oh, thank you very much, Your Highness!' Maldo beamed.

'I must see that wonder!' Midori said resolutely.

'We'll visit it, Midori,' I promised grinning.

Midori nodded smiling gently.

'Then I built a Palace for the Caliph of Shinshi, who visited Echo lately,' Maldo continued eagerly. 'It's a building with tall slender lilac And milky white towers, And the first floors are invisible, so the Palace seems floating in the air!'

'Wonderful, Sir Maldo,' Midori smiled gently. 'I'll go And see it too. You're really a very talented architect, it seems!'

'Yeah, he is darn genius,' I grinned.

'Sir Maldo, And how Do you build these masterpieces, what magic Do you use?' Midori asked v curiously.

'Well, ancient architects could materialise a building from Nothing, but it takes darn high degrees of magic,' Maldo started explaining. 'So I had an idea, to use garbage as s base for my buildings And transform it into a building by magic! That takes much less magic, especially if many people work together, as me And my apprentices!'

'That was the idea behind all magic Orders, that you are able to Do much more if you're together,' Shurf remarked evenly.

Maldo nodded beaming.

'Most curious, Sir Maldo,' Midori observed smiling gently.

'Your Highness, you imagine, all citizens of Echo, even police And Minor Secret Investigative Force, brought garbage for my construction site!' Maldo related beaming. 'People of Echo are so generous!'

'That's very inspiring, Sir Maldo,' Midori smiled gently.

'Yeah, it is,' Maldo beamed.

Midori smiled gently.

'Oh, Your Highness, Lady Basilio, congratulations!' Maldo beamed.

'Oh thank you, Sir Maldo,' Basilio smiled shyly.

'Domo arigatou gozaimasu, Sir Maldo,' Midori smiled gently.

'Your Highness, could you recite to me some more poems of your land?' Shurf asked delicately.

'Oh, of course, Sir Shurf,' Midori smiled gently.

'Even the almighty gods of old

never knew such beauty -

on the river Tatsuta

in autumn sunlight a brocade,

reds flowing above, blue water below.'

'Autumn leaves floating on the water, Your Highness?' Shurf asked smiling gently. 'It really looks like a patterned brocade!'

'Yes, red maple leaves on blue,' Midori nodded smiling gently. 'It's a poem by Ariwara-no Narihira Ason, a distinguished courtier, an elegant gentleman, a great lover And a great poet. This poem is in 'Ogura Hyakunin Isshu', a classic anthology.

Shurf nodded smiling gently.

'I would like to hear some more of his poems,' he requested gently.

'Of course,' Midori smiled.

'Is that not the moon?

And is that spring not the spring

Of year ago?

This body of mine alone

Remains as it was before.'

Shurf nodded sighing. Midori smiled gently to him.

'And one more, so sad And so true,' Midori smiled gently.

'Long ago I heard

That this is the road we must all

Travel in the end,

But I never thought it might

Be yesterday or today.'

Shurf nodded sighing gently.

'I remember one poem about this matter, Your Highness,' he observed evenly.

'Death is the grass

That shall grow through your palms

When you'll realize

That there is No death.'

Midori smiled gently to him.

'Quite right, Sir Shurf, whose poem is that?'

'It is by Lady Uttara Maya,' Shurf answered concisely.

'She was a great poet, that lady,' Midori observed.

'Yes, Your Highness,' Shurf nodded smiling gently.

Maldo listened to them with shining eyes.

'Your Highness, how do the palaces of your homeland look?' he asked eagerly.

Midori smiled dreamily.

'Well, Sir Maldo, my father's Palace is very large, it has many pavillons And courtyards, And it stands among a large lovely garden. There is a large lake with several rocky islands And pink And white Lotuses in it And a meandering stream flowing from the lake. There are pines, maples, bamboos, oaks, cherry trees, plum trees, peach trees, almond trees, chrysanthemums of all colours, hydrangeas, white, blue, lilac, purple And pink, Roses of all colours, white And pink camélias with shiny Green leaves, azaleas of all colours, white stern magnolias with shiny Green leaves, daylilies, yellow, golden, pink And crimson, yellow, blue, violet And pink irises, narcissi, daffodils, jonquils! And my father's Palace has red round lacquered pillars And beams, And walls of white paper on red frames, they are sliding. There are also elegant windows shaped like moons or lutes And such things in some places. The roofs are tiled, with upturned corners And golden ornaments like dragons And lions on the cornices.'

Maldo listened to him spellbound.

'Wonderful, Your Highness! And could you remember something from Palace life in details for me!?'

'Oh, of course, Sir Maldo,' Midori smiled gently. 'Hanami or momijigari, feasts for admiring cherry trees in bloom or autumn foliage, for example. ..'

'Oh, that would be splendid, Your Highness! ' Maldo cried eagerly.

Midori smiled gently And slyly to him.

'Maldo, I forgot to say, Sir Shurf And me swore an oath of brotherhood too,' I smiled gently.

'Oh, congratulations, Max, Sir Shurf!' Maldo beamed.

'Thank you, Sir Maldo,' Shurf said evenly,

'Thanks, Maldo!' I grinned.

'Midecek, Basinka, congratulations, may you always be as good friends as you are now!' Aleš grinned, raising his cup.

'Domo arigatou gozaimasu, Alešek!' Midori smiled gently And slyly.

'Thanks, Sir Aleš!' Basilio smiled shyly.

I grinned at this 'Basinka'. Well, if he called Midori 'Midecek'...

'Congratulations, Max, Shurf, may you always be together,' Juffin grinned.

'Thanks, Juffin!' I grinned.

'Thank you, Sir Juffin,' Shurf said evenly.


End file.
